Fujifilm X20: Review

Hello, chaps. Today I have for you a complete and full review of Fujifilm’s newest addition to their awesome X series of cameras, the upgrade to the interesting and very good X10: the Fujifilm Finepix X20 compact camera

I had a quick look at the X20 not long ago and shared my thoughts in my Fujifilm X20: First Look post – and yes, I was very impressed by how Fuji went about upgrading the X10. Like I mentioned back then, it appears Fuji realized that many people loved all but a few aspects of the X10; so instead of redesigning the entire thing, they simply went about fixing these little issues, while leaving everything else just the same. Therefore, on seeing the camera and its physical appearance for the first time, you can’t be blamed for thinking nothing has changed; it’s when looking at the spec sheet, and when actually using the camera, that you realize that some important bits have been actually changed. And these improvements are significant

The X20 has three very noticeable improvements over the X10, among a bunch of others (around 50?) that Fuji claims to have made. These are:

A new X-Trans image sensor (the same one found on the X-Pro1, although still in the 2/3” size)

A new Hybrid AF system, featuring on-chip phase detection (also a part of the new sensor, I guess!)

A much improved optical viewfinder, with electronic information overlay

Apart from these three points, Fuji has made quite a few more improvements to the X10 when creating this camera – 12fps burst shooting vs. the X10’s 7fps, and a new EXR II processor, among many others – but to me, these three major improvements are what make the X20 really stand out. If you’re thinking the X20 is extremely similar to the X10 and not worth the price difference, like I was at first, think carefully about the difference that these new features bring, and you’ll quickly realize (like I did!) that it’s absolutely worth the extra dough! Stay with me here if you’re not yet convinced

Fujifilm X20

Alright, looking at these three improvements a bit closer – well, the sensor had to be new, after the rather disastrous issues that the X10’s original sensor had, but they really went all out on this one. Where the X10 had a very good Fuji EXR sensor, the X20 gets the famous X-Trans sensor, which is known to perform remarkably well and is what makes cameras like the X-Pro1 and X-E1 so good. It’s really nice to see it here on the X20

The X10 was no slouch when it came to autofocusing – it’d be on par with the fastest compact camera even today, and faster than some – but Fuji has taken things one step further with on-chip phase detection in this new AF system on the X20, and as autofocusing can never be too fast, this is a fantastic addition too. I’m expecting it to be one of the fastest-focusing compacts out there

Lastly, the electronic information overlay on the optical viewfinder, which displays exposure information as well as your AF point over the image you see through the ‘finder, makes a huge difference, and actually makes the X20’s OVF very useable, unlike the X10’s empty one, which I hardly ever used

Alright, then…you know what else this camera is capable of…as it’s the same as the wonderful X10 in most other ways. I’ll go through the entire thing just to make this review complete, of course, but seriously…it’s the X10 perfected if you ask me

NOTE: Back when I tested the Fujifilm XF1, I put it up against my RX100, and gave myself the option of switching from Sony to Fuji if the XF1 performed well enough. That didn’t happen, but the same test is on for the X20!

If you’re getting yourself one – I’m sure many of you are – please use my affiliate links when buying! As always, buying from these links here really help me keep this blog going!

First Thoughts

First thoughts, as always, come first! And well, although I usually comment on the physical appearance of a new camera at first, there’s not much to say here. It’s identical in every way you look at it to the X10, and that’s a very good thing, because the X10 (like the rest of the X series) is absolutely beautiful. This camera just feels great in your hand too – unlike the lightweight feel of the XF1, which didn’t really meet my expectations in this area – and handles very well overall. Grabbing it, pulling off the lens cap, twisting the zoom ring to power-on, and taking the first shot – it all just comes naturally. That’s how good the design of the X10/X20 is. Nothing new, but it’s definitely worth a mention: design is perfect, in my opinion

Build quality is solid. Made of magnesium alloy, it’s built like a tank. Very sturdy indeed. Buttons, dials, and the lovely manual zoom ring all feel very good. I usually expect this from Fuji’s X series, but the XF1 disappointed in this area too, so it’s good to see nothing of this sort here

When I picked up the camera and ran through a few test shots, I naturally had the three new features – sensor, AF system, viewfinder – on my mind, and after a few seconds of using it, the first of these that becomes immediately apparent is the hybrid phase/contrast detect focusing. It’s blazing fast! Fujifilm claims the X20 locks focus in 0.2 seconds or less in any sort of conditions, and I feel that’s spot on. The X10 was fast. The RX100 was fast. But the X20 is just instantaneous in good lighting conditions. In lower light, it was noticeably slower, and sometimes failed to lock – but for a compact, it’s still very impressive, and one of the better AF systems out there. I have to mention, though, that in low light, the RX100 felt a bit better

The new X-Trans sensor, which plays a big part in the AF system, is getting rather famous for its excellent image quality, but to be honest, while I noticed none of the dreaded white orbs that plagued the X10, I couldn’t immediately notice a major difference compared to the images I remember shooting with the X10. After direct comparisons and closer examination, it’s clear that the X-Trans is superior to the X10’s EXR – more on that later – but at first, it wasn’t THAT obvious. However, the first shots I took looked really nice. Colors had that ‘Fuji look’ that people talk about these days, the images looked sharp, and I was immediately very pleased with it. That’s a great feeling to get when testing a new camera. Yes, it’s wonderful to see this X-Trans sensor on the X20

The viewfinder, well…it’s actually very nice to use. It’s pretty large, with 85% coverage (same as the one on the X10) but the electronic overlay of exposure info and selected AF point really makes it useable. There’s a little sensor that turns off the LCD when you move your camera up to your eye, which I don’t remember the X10 having; so this, along with the all-important overlay, makes this new OVF extremely handy. The lens is still visible (mostly at the wide angle end) through the viewfinder, but somehow this doesn’t seem as annoying as it was on the X10 – maybe it’s been re-designed a bit?

Apart from these major new features, general operation of the camera was fine – the new EXR II processor comes into play here, another rather significant addition – and overall, everything felt very responsive, Burst shooting capabilities and shot-to-shot speed was top notch too. Everything was great except for two little issues that I found early on. Firstly, when adjusting the aperture/shutter speeds in A/S modes (using the thumb wheel), I found the response was a bit sluggish, and sometimes went in reverse i.e. when trying to stop down the aperture, it sometimes feels a bit sluggish, and after a quick flick of the wheel, the camera sometimes opened the aperture up instead. Strange. The other little issue that I noticed is that when changing modes, the on-screen display that shows the mode being changed was very sluggish, and if I happen to turn the dial rather fast, through maybe 3 or 4 modes to get to the one I want, the display switches through each of the modes that I passed through rather lazily, and takes a couple of seconds before it settles down on the one I want. Not very impressive…but I’m sure a firmware upgrade should fix this…and if you hardly go out of PASM modes (I rarely head out of Aperture Priority) you wouldn’t even notice this

Everything else I noticed about it in the first half hour of using it was very good. The wonderful control layout, that beautifully smooth manual zoom ring, the solid and satisfying dials, the feel of the camera – it was all just fantastic, and exactly like I remember on the X10. And yeah, that’s about it. Nothing else struck me as being particularly good or bad. Overall, I was very impressed with the X20 after the first 30 minutes. Very impressed indeed

USER TIP #1: I always felt that the X10’s shoulder strap adds a lot of bulk to the entire feel of the camera, and is one reason why the RX100 felt so compact to me in comparison; the X20 also comes with an identical strap, and while it’s a pretty good one – looks nice and does the job well – I’d much rather use a wrist strap, which would do an equally good (or better) job, and keep things more compact. A friend of mine uses the rather famous Gordy handmade leather wrist strap, and it really works beautifully with his X10 – I’ve already ordered mine! Check out Gordy Camera Straps (the lug-mount wrist strap is what I’m talking about) – cheap, high quality, and nicely designed

USER TIP #2: The external lens cap tends to collect dust if you leave it lying around while you’re shooting, and this dust gets on your lens when you put the cap back on. Not a big deal – I’m just talking a couple of specks here – but I’d put the lens cap carefully in your pocket or camera bag when you’re shooting

Controls & Handling

The X10/X20 design is more on the chunky side, and is not as compact as, say, the RX100, or the Lumix LX7, but with that size comes great handling! Just like on the X10, the X20 handles very nicely indeed. Your hands (or mine, at least!) just closes in around the body very comfortably – right hand firmly gripping the body, left hand around the zoom ring – with fingers just falling naturally on all the need-to-access controls. The control layout and handling is something (the only thing, really) that I didn’t love about the Sony RX100, and here, the X20 is vastly superior

Alright, now it’s that time where I list out all the controls that this camera offers – and the Fuji X20 has quite a bunch! I’m aware that I’ve listed the same controls on my First Look post as well, but nothing’s changed since then, so I’m going to have to do it all over again here too! Here we go:

On the top panel, there’s the old-school-style shutter release button, the dedicated (and very useful) exposure compensation dial, the mode dial, and the Fn button. In the middle, there’s the hot shoe, and on the left is where the flash pops up from. The customizable Fn button is set to control ISO by default, and since there’s a control for basically everything but ISO on the back panel (read below), I recommend leaving it at that

Fujifilm X20: Top Panel

And now to the back…where there’s a button for pretty much everything you can think of…and Fuji still manages to keep things uncluttered. On the left side of the LCD, there are four buttons: Playback, Auto Exposure/Zoom In, Drive Mode/Zoom Out, and a dedicated white balance button. On the right of the LCD is the awesome ‘main command’ dial (a thumb wheel of sorts, which can also be pressed), the AEL/AFL button, a Display/Back button, and a clever Q menu button (more on that in a bit). There’s also the usual four-way controller – with the directions controlling Macro mode, Self Timer, Delete/AF area selection and Flash mode – which doubles as a second ‘sub-command’ dial, with the Menu/OK button right in the middle of all that

Fujifilm X20: Back Panel

The Q button brings up the Q menu, which allows you to quickly access a bunch of (non-customizable) settings, such as Image Size/Quality, ISO, WB, Film Simulation, Sharpness, and a few other useful features. It’s a very handy addition. The X10 had a rather useless RAW button instead, which I never used, so I’m pleased with this change. This Q menu plus the Fn button, together with the bunch of dedicated controls on the back, makes for a terrific control layout overall

The LCD is nice. It’s not a very high-resolution one – 460k dots – but even after using the fantastic LCD on the RX100 for quite a while, the X20 display looks fine. And using it in bright sunlight was no problem either. There’s a Sunlight mode that apparently helps you read the screen better in sunny conditions, but I didn’t think this makes much of a difference – even with the Sunlight mode turned off, I was seeing just fine. If you’re struggling to compose when shooting outdoors, the OVF is always there, but seriously – you shouldn’t struggle. The LCD is bright, clear, and very good. The only problem with the LCD for me? Reviewing pictures. The 460k-dot screen is sub-par today, and your images don’t look as good as they should on the LCD

Oh, and don’t forget the front. Here we have the magnificent Fujinon 28-112mm f2.0-2.8 lens, with that buttery-smooth manual zoom ring, along with the focus mode selector switch, and the AF illuminator lamp

Fujifilm X20: Front

The menu systems should be familiar to anyone who’s used a Fujifilm camera – or at least an X series camera. And I love this menu system, I really do. I find it rather frustrating when using my Sony’s menus to quickly access a particular menu setting that I want; with the Fuji, it comes naturally to me. Maybe that’s just me. But I love it. I’m starting to fall back to Fuji here, aren’t I?

To conclude this section, the X20 handles extremely nicely, and it has a near-perfect control layout. It’s a bit larger than what you’d call a true compact camera, but its controls and handling take it far beyond what you’d get from a simple compact camera, and for me, that’s worth the slight compromise in size. It’s something that each photographer will feel differently about, of course

Performance

From the moment you first turn it on, the X20 really impresses with its speed. Everything about it is fast. And having been using a very quick camera (the RX100) for months now, for this to seem so fast means it really is fast!

I think Fuji claims something like a 0.5 second power-on time, and that must be spot on, because from the moment you twist the zoom ring from OFF to the 28mm position, you’re ready to shoot. There’s no lag whatsoever. I’m still not a fan of the external lens cap, as that adds a couple of seconds to the power-on process, and also tends to collect dust while its off your camera, dust which gets on your lens when you pop the cap back on; but if you’re roaming the streets with the lens cap off, and you see something you want to capture, you can turn it on and start shooting in less than a second. I would’ve liked the built-in lens cap that was found on the Fuji XF1, but that ended up making the entire lens mechanism feel cheap and wobbly, really, so if the lens cap mechanism ruins the feel of the zoom ring, I’m more than happy with the X20’s external lens cap

Having used the X20 in bright sunlight, in low indoor lighting, and in other sorts of conditions as well, I can’t quite verify the stat that Fuji claims: focus lock in 0.2 seconds or less in any setting. However, what I can tell you is that this is that the X20 focuses faster than any other compact camera I’ve used. It’s that good! It rarely failed to lock focus, and hardly took longer than a fraction of a second to do so. It almost always seemed instantaneous and DSLR-like no matter what conditions you shoot in. Thanks to the phase detect sensors on the new AF system, no doubt. In very low light, and with the AF illuminator lamp turned off, it might take closer to 0.5 seconds to focus, but this is still superb

UPDATE: Having used this camera more, I have to say that autofocusing in low light (without the AF illuminator lamp, which is not always practical to use) can sometimes be frustrating. Like I mentioned above, it never takes more than a second to lock focus, but in low light, it repeatedly fails to lock focus, which means you have to try and try and try until it gets it right. It’s still one of the best compacts in terms of focusing, but in low light it can be a bit troublesome. I think the RX100 would’ve done a bit better in similar conditions. Note, however, that I’m talking about pretty low light, where you need to shoot at f2.8 and ISO 1600 and still get a shutter speed of 1/15 sec. A decent DSLR might have trouble in these lighting conditions too. I’m just sharing the experience here!

The new superfast continuous shooting mode capable of 12 frames per second is another area where the X20 outshines its predecessor. I rarely use this mode in my work, but on my tests, it worked brilliantly. This burst speed slows down as the buffer fills up, like any camera does, of course, but on my tests, just as Fuji states in their spec sheet, it fired for around a second at full speed before slowing down; this means you get around 11-12 frames in this one second. And even when it slows down, it’s still pretty rapid. Shooting for little over 2 seconds, I ended up with 20 frames, and after taking barely a second to write all this to the SD card once complete, it was ready to go again. The EXR II processor is truly excellent

Similarly, the processor also keeps the shot-to-shot speed right up there with the best. I found no significant lag when shooting frame upon frame without interruption, not with JPEG, not with RAW. You shoot, you focus, you shoot again

Well, what else? General operation, like I said earlier, is very responsive, except for a couple of little niggles that I found when using the camera. That was mildly disappointing, and prevents me from giving a 100% score on the performance aspect of this camera, but it’s nothing that significant, and will surely be addressed in the next firmware that Fujifilm will release. It does, however, slightly damage the superb feel you get when using this camera in general

Another little issue I had with the X20 is its maximum shutter speed at fast apertures. The X20 boasts a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 sec, but similar to the XF1 (I don’t remember how it was on the X10), at f2.0, the maximum shutter speed you can get is 1/1000 sec. No faster. This is because the shutter mechanism can’t cover the distance of a wide-open aperture at its maximum speed of 1/4000 sec. At f2.0, the X20’s shutter maxes out at 1/1000 sec and this limit gradually gets faster as you stop down i.e. 1/1200 at f2.5 and so on, and 1/4000 is available only from f8. It’s no issue if you use wide apertures in low light, but if you’re shooting in sunlight, and you want a shallow depth of field, it can be very annoying. A built-in ND filter would’ve been great, but no luck. I had trouble with this when taking some natural shots, as well as trying to take my wide open sharpness tests for this review

EDIT: As Mike (from the comments section) pointed out, the shutter speed is limited in such a way only in Aperture Priority mode. In Manual and Shutter Priority modes, the camera switches to its electronic shutter (which I, and some others, didn’t know existed, as it isn’t mentioned anywhere!), and this allows it to shoot at f2.0 and 1/4000 sec! Annoyingly, it’s not available for Aperture Priority, the mode that I use 99% of the time, and that’s still disappointing – but in that crunch situation when I really need a fast shutter/wide aperture, Manual mode is always there. Nice!

I’d also like to point out that the battery life on the X20 is sub-par. Every other camera I’ve tested in the last year – the RX100, the XF1, the EOS M, all of them – could handle my two days of testing, and still end up with around 30-50% battery remaining. The X20 died on me before I could complete my tests. That’s rather unfortunate

Anyway, I don’t feel I should end this section on a sort of depressing note like this, as the X20 deserves better, so I’ll just reiterate what a good performer the X20 is again, shall I? Fastest autofocus system I’ve used on a compact camera. Faster than many mirrorless systems I’ve used too. 12 frames per second continuous shooting. Very short write-to-memory time. Hardly any noticeable lag between shots. Powers on in less than half a second. There! One of the best (or the best) compact cameras in terms of performance, if you ask me

Features

Manual Zoom: Yes, it’s straight from the X10, and everyone knows about it, but it’s one of the features of this camera that makes it work and handle as well as it does. Buttery smooth, great to grip, and just lovely to use. This zoom ring just makes the X10/X20. Nothing more to say here, really

X-Trans Sensor: Where the X10 had an EXR sensor, which was very good (apart from its faults!), on the X20 Fuji has gone with the same sensor technology used in their mirrorless X series – the more expensive X-Pro1 and X-E1 – and while I’m not going to describe how it works, how it’s different to EXR and other CMOS sensors and so on, it’s pretty special. It’s one of the most significant improvements made on the X20, and is one I’m very excited about. Read more about how the sensor performs under the Image Quality section, but for now, as a teaser, let me tell you that I love how the images look!

Hybrid AF System: This awesome new sensor also comes with on-chip phase detect technology, combining in some way with traditional compact camera-style contrast detect technology, to form a very impressive and blazing fast autofocus system. I’ve already described how good it is, so there’s not a lot more to say here. If you think I’m going to explain how contrast and phase detect systems work, there’s just no space here!

Fujinon Lens: I’m not sure about this but from what I see, this lens is identical to the one found on the X10. And as I had no problem with the X10’s lens, I’m glad to see it here. It’s a really sharp and very fast lens – f2.0 at the wide end, stopping down to just f2.8 on the telephoto end – and looks really good too! Big and shiny! Again, read more on the lens performance under the Image Quality section, but yeah…you know it…the images look fine indeed

Dynamic Range: These Fuji sensors are known for their good dynamic range, and like the X10, the X20 allows you to ‘expand’ this dynamic range, using settings ranging from 100% to 400% and an ‘Auto DR’ mode as well. I found it to work quite well, especially in landscapes, bringing out plenty of detail in both highlight and shadow regions. Have a look for yourself at the sample comparison below:

The left half is at DR100, while the left half is at DR200. Noticeably better in the highlight areas, don’t you think?

Manual Focus with Focus Peak Highlights: Manual focusing is not as good as on the RX100, which is the best compact camera for manual focusing that I’ve used, but it’s good enough, and the focus peak highlighting feature makes it easier. The focus peaking feature is not as good as the one found on the Sony either, but it’s very useable. Pressing the AEL/AFL button gives you autofocus in case you’re struggling with doing it manually, and gives you a good starting point for you to fine tune from – that’s how I’d do it

In-Camera RAW Processing: The fact that you can process your RAW files to JPEGs in-camera is always nice, but the X20 has a host of parameters that you can adjust and control when doing so. You can ‘push’ and ‘pull’ i.e. increase/decrease exposure, you can adjust sharpness, NR, and quite a lot more. Fantastic

Optical Viewfinder: Ah yes, the new and improved OVF. From the boring, ‘empty’, and rather useless OVF on the X10 that I thought was a waste of space, it’s become a very interesting and pretty useful one on the X20, thanks to its electronic information overlay. It’s also got a useful sensor that detects when you’re using the OVF and switches off the LCD. Rather cleverly, this sensor doesn’t turn off the LCD when you’re in macro mode, as the OVF is not accurate enough for close-ups. Nice. It’s still not a fantastic viewfinder, and sometimes feels a bit small, but it’s perfectly fine for a compact camera, and is especially useful in bright sunlight, or when you want to save battery

Full HD Video: The X20 shoots full HD video, obviously, but note that it shoots 60fps. A lot of additional detail is captured when shooting at faster than normal frame rates, and while I rarely test video, I think the X20 should do a very good job of getting some good quality footage. Unlike the RX100, it doesn’t have a lot of manual control options, though. For sound, it has stereo mics in front, which do pretty well, and also has an option to attach an external mic. That’s useful. Oh, and there’s the fun option of shooting at fast frame rates, right up to a very fast 250fps. At lower resolutions, of course, and without sound, but super-slow-mo videos are fun indeed!

Intelligent Digital Zoom: Something that I think was there since the X10, this mode digitally magnifies your image while shooting. Basic digital zoom, really. However, the intelligent part is that it also ‘processes it for sharp, high resolution results’, meaning that you don’t lose as much resolution as you would if you crop the image. I didn’t pay too much attention here as I rarely need more reach than this camera gives optically, but if you’re into close-ups of distant subjects, it might interest you. Have a look at the comparison below:

112mm with no digital zoom (left) and 112mm with digital zoom (right)

Note that once you turn on the intelligent digital zoom from the menu, it’s always on, meaning your LCD viewfinder is always 2.0x magnified, and will remain like this until you turn it off

Advanced/Scene Recognition Modes And Other Stuff: Some might use these modes more than I do, some might consider these gimmicks, but they’re there in the X20 – exactly the same as the extra modes found on the XF1, I believe – and they’re features of the camera, so I’ll mention a few of them here:

The Scene Recognition Mode does just what it says: you compose your shot, the camera detects the scene type – portrait, landscape, macro etc. – and sets the camera to optimize for this sort of shot. If you’re a little more developed than a complete beginner, you wouldn’t want to use this mode, but I have to say that it detects the scene pretty accurately

The Advanced Mode has a couple of interesting sub-modes. All of them shoot JPEG only

First of all is the Advanced Filter mode, where (you guessed it) you apply filters to your shots. Toy camera, high key, low key, partial color, soft focus, miniature – you know the type. Quite good

Miniature and Toy Camera Filters

Then there’s the very good Sweep Panorama Mode, which is more than just a gimmick, and you’d use this even if you’re a pro! It works great

A quick, unsteady, first-attempt panorama, and it still did a good job stitching it!

Pro Focus is an interesting one, one that I probably described back in my XF1 review: it’s a multi-shot mode that takes a rapid burst of three shots, some of them out-of-focus, and merges them together, in an attempt to keep your subject sharp and blur the background. It works, but I’m not sure if it works better than simply opening up to f2.0, getting close to your subject, and doing it the old fashioned way. I don’t see myself ever going through the hassle of changing modes and sub-modes simply to do something that you can do in Aperture Priority

I don’t see much of a difference, do you? Pro Focus on the right, regular f2.0 shot on the left

Pro Low Light is another multi-shot mode that attempts to reduce noise at high ISO settings by taking a burst of three shots, and merging them into one. It does a decent job, as you can see in the 100% crops below, but the results tend to look a bit soft

Regular ISO 1600 on the left, Pro Low Light ISO 2000 on the right

The last of the Advanced modes feature is probably the most fun mode, which I definitely talked about in the XF1 review, the Multiple Exposure setting. Something that lot of us do in film, sometimes with disastrous results, is to shoot one frame, then shoot a second frame over the first, which results in a rather wacky fusion of both these frames. Same thing in this mode: shoot your first, select OK, and shoot again. Done

Apart from these two modes, there are a few other Fujifilm features inside the X20 – Intelligent Face Detection, Intelligent Auto Flash, and a few other intelligent bits – but one of the more useable ones (found on the X10 and XF1 too) is the Film Simulation setting. Yes, it’s what other brands call Picture Style, or whatever i.e. ‘modes’ or ‘styles’ like Standard, Vivid, Portrait, and so on; but I love that Fuji has used their old film types like Velvia and Astia to categorize these looks…and they’re quite nice indeed. The Monochrome style is particularly good, and although I usually convert my black and whites while post processing, I wouldn’t mind shooting with this black and white ‘Film’ every once in a while

Fujifilm X20: Image Quality

Alright, so I hinted at good image quality when I talked about the X-Trans sensor and the Fujinon lens – but how do I feel after doing my usual tests and all the rest of it? Image quality is what it all comes down to in the end, right? Yeah. And boy, I’m impressed again! Fujifilm’s image quality is generally right up there and always keeps me amazed, and here with the X20, they’ve done it again

Like with any lens, this 28-112mm is sharpest when stopped down (to f4.0 or f5.6 or below) and in the center, and if you look at a center crop taken from such an image, you’d be very impressed indeed. It really is super sharp. Similar to the X10, I guess. But not only in such cases, even when wide open, and even in the corners, it’s still pretty damn sharp! A very good piece of glass, this

Noise reduction is getting better and better with every passing month, it seems. On previous cameras, I’d avoid shooting above ISO 800 for really good quality, and push it to 1600 on occasion, but with the X20, I have no hesitation shooting at 1600, or even 3200. Have a look at the sample images and see for yourself. The sensor and in-camera noise reduction do a fine job at high ISO speeds

Distortions and chromatic aberrations are nearly always corrected in-camera these days, and I noticed nothing…well, nothing noticeable in my JPEGs taken with the X20. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom does not support the X20’s RAW files at the time of the writing, so I’m not doing my RAW tests now – but seriously, the ease of which distortion and color fringing can be fixed these days, even the bad cases, means I rarely worry over this area, unless it’s pretty severe; and on the X20, it’s not

UPDATE: Adobe updated Lightroom a couple of hours after this review went live, and now supports the X20’s X-Trans-created RAW files, and no – I still don’t notice any strong or abnormal distortions/chromatic aberrations

The Automatic White Balance of the X20 is one weak link that I noticed, after using this camera for a couple of weeks now, in an otherwise very solid performance in terms of image quality. In some difficult cases, like when shooting in my living room at night, where many more advanced cameras (including the RX100) struggled and needed a custom WB setting, the X20 did pretty well – and after a bit of adjustment, it looked perfect. However, in less trying conditions, the X20 was a bit inaccurate with its Auto WB mode, often casting a rather noticeable green tinge to everything that I shot indoors. Daylight (and night) shots taken outdoors using Auto WB looked good; so I guess it’s when shooting indoors, with a lot of whites (walls, sofas, that sort of thing) causes the camera to get it a bit wrong. I shoot RAW, and I’m fairly experienced in color correcting, so it’s not a big deal for me; but if you’re unfamiliar with white balance adjustment, and you shoot JPEGs, this might be a bit of an issue. Annoyingly, it sometimes shows a very nice, accurate version, with perfect white balance, on the LCD when I preview the image, only to go back to that green tinged look when I view it on my computer. One good thing is that every white balance setting can be adjusted in-camera, including Auto WB, so if you have time, and you know what you’re doing, the camera gives you all the options to get it perfected. But still, I have to say that the Auto WB mode of this camera is not that great. I’ve heard a few others complain about this on the X20 (and the X10 too)

The built-in flash is good, but compared to the ‘tilt-head’ of sorts on the Sony RX100, and the lovely bounce flash effect it could give, this one is not nearly as good. Shame. It does do a pretty good job though, but direct flash from compacts (unless it’s used purely as a fill flash) always tends to look harsh, with strong shadows and washed out highlights. I tried using a piece of tissue over the flash to get a diffused look, but that didn’t make much of a difference. You could try making one of those DIY diffusers out of a ping pong ball or a white film canister, though – I’ll post some images once I get around to trying this myself!

Dynamic range is very good, as I already mentioned. Boosting the dynamic range makes for some very nice landscapes, and allows you to capture lot of detail from the highlights and shadows

Shallow depth of field is very possible, thanks to the fast lens and large sensor. Compared to the RX100, with a sensor twice in size of the X20, I think the depth of field appears to be the same. I know that the RX100 is faster at the wide end, and with its larger sensor it should have a shallower depth of field, but I can’t say it was that noticeable. At the telephoto end, the X20 is much faster (f2.8 compared to f4.9) and possibly has shallower depth of field than the RX100, but again I can’t say it was really noticeable

Image Quality: Sharpness/Detail/Noise

All are (approximately) 100% crops

Wide Open/Center/28mm

Stopped Down/Center/28mm

Stopped Down/Corner/28mm

Wide Open/Corner/28mm

Wide Open/Center/112mm

Wide Open/Corner/112mm

Stopped Down/Center/112mm

Stopped Down/Corner/112mm

ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12800

Distortion: 28mm

Distortion: 50mm

Distortion: 112mm

Image Quality: RAW vs. JPEG

Like I mentioned earlier, a few hours after this review went online, Adobe released a Lightroom update that supports RAW files created by the X-Trans sensor, which includes the X20, so I was immediately able to get you these RAW vs JPEG samples. All the following are (approximately) 100% crops – Detail and ISO samples are 100% crops taken from the center of the frame – and in each case, its JPEG on the left and RAW on the right

Wide Open/Center Sharpness

Wide Open/Corner Sharpness

Stopped Down/Center Sharpness

Stopped Down/Corner Sharpness

Detail (ISO 400)

ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

Well, yeah. What more do I need to say? The X20 produces fantastic images. Directly compared with shots taken on the X10, this one’s definitely better. It’s not apparent on first glance, but on comparison, you definitely notice the X-Trans doing its thing

Overall, I’d say for pure image quality, the RX100 still has the upper hand, but only very, very slightly. Don’t get me wrong, even with a sensor half the size of the RX100’s, the X20’s images are right up there with the Sony and the best of the current crop of compacts. Excellent sharpness, fine resolution and detail, beautiful and natural (Fuji-style) colors, lovely contrast, and terrific high ISO performance. Yeah, you get the idea. It’s superb, really. I only say the RX100 has the upper hand is that, due to its 1” sensor, its images just have a bit more resolution and detail, and can sometimes look a bit better when viewed large. Then again, this is not often noticeable, not even when directly comparing X20 and RX100 images; and in fact, with its X-Trans sensor, I’m sure some of you (and myself!) prefer the entire LOOK of the images taken by the X20 to ones taken by the Sony. Yeah, I’m definitely leaning towards the Fuji right now!

UPDATE: Again, having used the X20 for much longer than when I initially wrote this review, I have a few thoughts to add, and on image quality, which excellent, I have to say the RX100 was quite a bit better, especially in low light. I guess the 1″ sensor, twice as large as the X20’s, is superior in terms of high ISO performance, and allows for very clean shots even at very high ISOS. The JPEGs I took with the X20 at ISO 3200 – some real life shots I was taking the other day, not test shots – tended to look quite grainy, more so than I recall the shots taken on the Sony. Another reason here would be that when using the RX100 indoors, I always used the pop-up flash, thanks to its ability to tilt; with the X20, I never use the flash, as the only option is direct. That could be a reason too. But I just feel that while the X20 is right up there with the RX100 in image quality in most conditions – more specifically when there’s enough light around – when shooting in low light, the RX100 is definitely better

Fujifilm X20: Product Gallery

Fujifilm X20: Sample Image Gallery

ISO 200 f7.1 1/950 sec 7.1mm

ISO 200 f7.1 1/950 sec 7.1mm

ISO 200 f2.8 1/1200 sec 7.1mm

ISO 200 f5.6 1/800 sec 7.1mm

ISO 200 f2.5 1/1000 sec 13.7mm

ISO 200 f8.0 1/800 sec 7.1mm

ISO 100 f3.6 1/900 sec 28.4mm

ISO 100 f3.6 1/1600 sec 8.9mm

ISO 100 f5.0 1/420 sec 9.3mm

ISO 100 f2.5 1/500 sec 7.1mm

ISO 100 f2.0 1/850 sec 7.1mm

ISO 250 f8 1/105 sec 28.4mm

ISO 100 f8 1/640 sec 12.7mm

ISO 100 f5.6 1/1200 sec 28.4mm

ISO 100 f5.6 1/640 sec 12.7mm

ISO 100 f2.5 1/1000 sec 12.2mm

ISO 100 f2.5 1/1250 sec 7.1mm

Monochrome Film Simulation

Monochrome Film Simulation

ISO 100 f2.8 1/480 sec 8.6mm

Astia Film Simluation

ISO 100 f2.0 1/25 sec 7.1mm

ISO 100 f3.2 1/30 sec 7.1mm

ISO 200 f2.0 1/80 sec 7.1mm

ISO 250 f2.0 1/160 sec 7.1mm

ISO 800 f2.8 1/30 sec 7.1mm

ISO 1250 f2.0 1/13 sec 7.1mm

Pro Low Light Mode

ISO 1600 f2.2 1/25 sec 7.1mm

ISO 1600 f2.0 1/125 sec 7.1mm

Indoors at night (f2.0) with Auto WB

Same as previous but with slightly adjusted WB

Same as previous, but with custom WB

With flash ON

ISO 100 f7.1 7.0 sec 7.1mm

ISO 3200 f2.5 1/40 sec (Handheld)

ISO 200 f7.1 1/680 sec 7.1mm

ISO 200 f8 1/550 sec 10.8mm

ISO 200 f8 1/600 sec 28.4mm

ISO 400 f4.0 1/25 sec 7.1mm

Macro Sample (1cm from lens)

Macro Sample (1cm from lens)

Fujifilm X20: What I liked/What I didn’t like

Plus Points:

The X-Trans sensor and Fujinon lens combination makes for superb image quality – right up there with the best

Fantastic hybrid AF system – faster than any other compact out there (in daylight)

Unique manual zoom ring – an absolute pleasure to use

Comprehensive control layout – while remaining easy to use and uncluttered

Handy Q menu to access many settings instantly

Excellent design and overall handling

Excellent build quality

Very useful optical viewfinder – now with electronic information overlay

Maximum shutter speed of 1/1000 sec at f2.0 in Aperture Priority mode – hard to get shallow DOF in bright sunlight. However, faster shutter speeds (up to the full 1/4000 sec) can be achieved at f2.0 using Manual or Shutter Priority modes

Slower AF in unfavorable lighting conditions

No built-in ND filter

Sub-par battery life

Sometimes inaccurate Auto WB mode (noticeably when shooting indoors)

Sensor could’ve been larger than its predecessor (?!)

Flash cannot be tilted (?!)

Body could’ve been more compact (?!)

Quite pricey

As you can see, I really struggled to find some negatives here. A 1” sensor would’ve made this camera perfect. And perfection rarely exists. And as it is, this 2/3” X-Trans sensor performs exceptionally well. But I had to fill out the negatives list, right? Yeah. If you’re wondering what I really found to be negatives, it’s the maximum shutter speed at f2.0 and the lack of a built-in ND filter, both of which combine to make it hard to shoot wide open in bright light. And the Auto WB mode. And yeah, it’s a bit expensive

Conclusion

So after using this camera for a couple of days, and really getting to know it, I’m really liking it. All aspects of it. The build quality is fantastic and it handles extremely well. The control layout, including the wonderful manual zoom ring, is a pleasure to use. It’s extremely fast and responsive in every way. It produces gorgeous images that are sharp, colorful, and low in noise even at ISO 3200. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Yeah, it is

So after a few days using both the RX100 and the X20, where do I stand with my decision on which compact to use in the future? RX100 vs. X20? Well, I had (and still have) two reasons for using the RX100: for pure image quality, where it still has the edge, and for its true compact form factor

However, the X20 comes very close in terms of picture quality – some might say its beautiful ‘Fujifilm look’ even surpasses the look of the Sony’s. And when I think of the times I actually slipped the RX100 in my pocket and walked around – something I thought I’d do a lot when I first found out how compact the RX100 really was – I can’t really recall doing that a lot. Hardly ever. It’s compact, but while it fits in my pocket, it only just gets in, and I feel that a little bump in such a tight pocket might damage that thin lens cover or something. Not to mention it isn’t that easy to get out in a hurry. So yeah, I’ve generally been taking it around in a camera bag. And if I’m going to be taking a camera bag anyway, the compact size of the RX100 and the comparative bulk of the X20 doesn’t really come into the picture. And if I like the X20’s images as much as I do the RX100’s, the image quality bit doesn’t come into the picture either. So suddenly…boom! The two main reasons for using the RX100 have been negated

Yeah, that’s right. I’ve decided to sell off my RX100 and keep the X20. Why? It’s neck-and-neck, right? Well, in terms of image quality, yes. In other ways, especially in terms of handling, and controls, the X10/X20 is far superior. After 6 months, I rarely used the disappointing control ring of the RX100, except for the occasional bit of manual focusing. I always missed having a second control dial. Dedicated buttons for WB and ISO too. The X20 has all that, and more. The only way I was going to pass on the wonderful controls and handling of the X20 was if the RX100 still had significantly superior image quality, and right now, I can’t say that it does. And that’s why I’m replacing the Sony with the fantastic Fujifilm X20 – the perfected X10!

I’m going to miss the RX100, for sure. The images it produces are truly fantastic – amazing considering it’s such a compact thing – and I love the flexible little pop-up flash, built-in lens cap (which I love in a compact) among quite a few other things, but after just a few days, the X20 has become part of my hand and my eye, and I see a great future up ahead! Alright, alright…too dramatic…but you know what I mean. It’s a great camera. They both are. For some, the RX100 might work better, but for me, the X20 is near perfect. It feels just made for me

UPDATE: After using the Fujifilm X20 for a few weeks now, I have a few new thoughts on the camera, and unfortunately they’re not very good thoughts. Please read my new comparison post between the X20 and Sony’s RX100 to get a better idea of my new conclusion of sorts on this camera

Alright, I’ll stop dragging on. I hope you find this review and all the sample images useful. Please leave a comment if you have any questions or thoughts, or if you agree/disagree with something I’ve said. Thanks for reading. And as always, and as I said before, using the links to buy this camera from Amazon or B&H Photo will greatly help my blog and ensure its future! So if you’re getting one, please get it from these stores using my links! Until next time

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Thanks, Tim Yeah, exactly – it’s very nice to see a camera manufacturer actually listen to what we say, and go about fixing exactly those problems! The X20 is a great little camera…but so is the X10…and whenever you feel like an upgrade, the X20 is definitely that upgrade!

Thanks! Yeah, it was one of the few little faults of the X20. The X10’s battery life wasn’t great either, so it’s a bit sad to see that FUji didnt fix this. Ah well, they fixed everything else! My battery lasted for 2 days of reasonable shooting, and usage. I probably took around 150-200 shots on that single first charge, and it was on quite a bit as I was browsing through the different menus and settings and all. Not bad overall, but in comparison to many other new cameras, sub-par

thanks for all the sample images. the sharpness tests are interesting, it looks to be a very sharp lens, does it not? the X10’s lens was very sharp too, as i recall. how about compared to the Sony in terms of pure lens sharpness?

Cheers I havent really done a direct comparison of crops between the RX100 and X20 – that sort of thing isn’t what I usually do here – but from what I can see, the X20 is very sharp indeed, and i’d say on par with the RX100. I’m not gonna say it’s better, as I do not have real proof on that, but it appears to be as sharp, and definitely not less so, to my eyes

Excellent review!! Great to hear somebody’s thoughts on actually using the product instead of a load of crops and all the technical stuff that I’m not interested in. Before going out and buying something, this really helps! So if you were comparing the X10, RX100, and X20, how would it rank? Thanks!

Thanks Adam I’d rank it RX100/X20 > X10. I really can’t say which is better when comparing the X20 and the RX100. The Sony has got the larger sensor, which gives a bit more resolution and detail if you really notice this sort of thing, along with a better LCD, compact body, built-in lens cap, that great little flash, and great overall image quality. The X20 has got a smaller sensor, but it’s an X-Trans, and gives that beautiful style of images that we associate with the X series, along with SUPERB handling and controls, the manual zoom ring, the OVF, a faster lens throughout the zoom range except at the widest point, and its flash is pretty decent too. And yes, the X20’s overall image quality is fantastic. It really depends on what you want from your compact. After using both, I felt the X20 was more my thing, but that’s not to say the X20 is a better camera than the RX100. Hope this clears things up a bit (I don’t think so, sadly!)

Thanks, Charles! Yes, everything about the X20 impressed, if you ask me; apart from a few minor issues that I mentioned (shutter speed when shooting wide open, battery life, Auto WB), it’s pretty much perfect. Hope to see you around pixelogist then! Cheers

Ah, this really helped with my decision. I was struggling with my RX100 too, even though i LOVE the pictures it takes. It just handles wrong. The compactness is cool but handling is a huge price to pay for that. The control ring is so disappointing! Now i’m seriously thinking of switching to the X20, after seeing how you made the switch. Thanks for sharing all your thoughts on the X20 and why you made the switch!

You’re welcome Glad to have helped! I agree, some aspects of the RX100’s handling was very disappointing, especially the ordinary implementation of the control ring, which could’ve been made to be far more useful

Just like on the X10, if you want to screw on filters, you will need to buy the Fuji LH-X10 lens hood, which comes with an adapter-ring to screw in standard 52mm filters. There’s also a LHF-X20 kit, which is a hood, protective filter, and a pinch-type lens cap. This will also allow you to use standard 52mm filters. If you want to screw on filters directly, Fuji has made the lens’ natural size a bit of an awkward one (probably to see their lens hoods) so some people have had luck directly screwing on 40mm filters, while some haven’t. I haven’t done this so I can’t comment, I’m afraid – but if you want to be sure, get an LH-X10 and get a 52mm ND filter

Great review. I am thinking of upgrading my X10. You seem to definitely think that this is a good idea, right? And one question: I want to actually use the hot-shoe, a feature of this camera, to buy an external flash. Which one do you recommend I get? There’s one or two that’s cheap, and one that’s pricey!

You’re right, Quentin. I’d definitely recommend the X20 as a solid upgrade purchase to your X10. For a flash, you have three options from Fuji. The EF-42 is pretty good value, and has a lot of features, but it’s too big for a compact camera, even though it’d work fine with your X20. The EF-20 is pretty nice, cheap, and while it doesn’t look the best, it has a nice little swivel head which makes for some bounce flash shots. The most expensive one is the one I’d most recommend, though, the EF-X20. It costs quite a bit, but it is built superbly, looks fantastic on the X20, and works extremely well. It doesn’t swivel, but it’s got a built-in diffuser, which allows you to soften the light, which is what the bounce flash does

To summarize, I’d recommend the EF-X20 if you can afford it; and if you can’t, I’d recommend the EF-20

Top review as always,.thanks. I just saw your NEX review too, however I’m going for a compact, and I was considering this X20

Then, when you really look at it, the NEX-3N is about the same size as this X20, isn’t it? And it’s cheaper. And with the APS-C sensor, I assume it takes better pictures? And I have the option of putting on other lenses

So what do you recommend? I guess the X20 has a few high-end features more than the NEX-3N does, and has a more premium build quality and feel, but is it worth it?

You make a very good point, one that crossed my mind while using the NEX 3N too. However, this will depend a lot on the photographer who’s buying the camera; but yeah, you got the basic idea of it right. The NEX 3N probably surpasses the X20 in pure image quality. I haven’t tested this, but the sensor size difference should lead anyone to believe that. Without doing direct comparisons, I seem to feel the NEX images are definitely better. The size is around the same too. And the price of the NEX 3N is indeed significantly cheaper than the X20 (around $500 vs $650)

So who’d buy the X20? Well, As a secondary camera i.e. if you already own a system camera, I think the X20 would go better. It’s a different kind of camera – and using a system camera already, I wouldn’t want to add a whole new one to the mix, so the X20 goes nicely here

The few high-end features and the HANDLING is what most people would pay money for. And the build quality, yeah. The handling of the X20 is far superior to any other compact on the market, is as good as any professional DSLR, if you ask me – and is leaps and bounds ahead of the NEX 3N.

SO yeah, like I said, it depends. If you don’t have a good camera right now, and you’re looking for your first, I’d say the NEX would be the better choice. It’s a system camera, it takes superb pictures, it’s compact, cheap, and while the controls/handling isn’t that great, it’s good enough. But if you already have DSLR system or something, and you just want something simple and compact, but something with high-end performance and features, a compact would suit you better…and if I was recommending a compact today, it’d be the Sony RX100 or the Fujifilm X20

Excellent review, thanks a lot. I’m a happy X20 also, gotta love those Fuji colors. I agree about the lack of a ND filter, very annoying. I use the lens hood and pop the X20 in my camera bag. No need for the lens cap as the lens is somewhat protected by the portruding lens hood.

Cheers, Luc Yeah, the lens hood does offer a bit of protection, but I don’t think I’d feel comfortable shoving my X20 in a bag without a lens cap on. The lens hood doesn’t allow a lens cap even if you want to, though – unless you get the LH-X20 which includes a filter and the pinch-type lens cap. But on the plus side, if you use the lens hood, you can pop in an ND filter for those daytime wide-aperture shots

“Another little issue I had with the X20 is its maximum shutter speed at fast apertures. The X20 boasts a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 sec, but similar to the XF1 (I don’t remember how it was on the X10), at f2.0, the maximum shutter speed you can get is 1/1000 sec. No faster.”

That’s not entirely accurate. It is true for Aperture mode (and likely true for ‘S’ and ‘P’ modes as well) that the maximum shutter speed is linked to the aperture setting and at f/2 it’s capped to 1/1000 – the shortest time the leaf shutter can cover the aperture. But in Manual mode you are not limited and can set the the camera for f/2.0 and 1/4000s. The X20 has an electronic shutter that kicks in and allows the faster shutter speeds, and is indicated as active by showing the shutter speed in red. Where this is extremely handy is when used for high speed sync with off-camera flash.

As far as I can see, this isn’t explained in the manual – but verified with my X20.

Spot on, Mike! Thanks for correcting me on that one! Goes to show how much I depend on Aperture Priority and how little I shoot with anything else! I did tests on Manual, and like you say, it’s possible to shoot at f2.0 and 1/4000 sec. That’s good news, but even better, I was able to shoot at f2.0 and 1/1200 sec (or faster) in Shutter Priority too. The shutter speed number on the LCD turns red, just as you said, which indicates that it has switched to the electronic shutter – I never knew that existed – haha. Anyway, thanks for the great tip, I’ll make an edit to the review immediately

I learned one other thing yesterday that is also interesting. Auto-ISO works in manual mode which means you could set your shutter speed to say 1/3000s and the aperture to f/2.8 with the Auto-ISO set for 100 as a minimum and 800 as the max and the ISO will adjust to compensate for changing light. I think I’d rather force the ISO to 100 and try shutter priority and let the aperture adjust instead of the ISO – but it’s another option.

Ah, that’s very interesting too! Thanks for the tip, Mike. Glad to hear you’re really playing around with it. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to do much with it since my initial testing for this review

I have to agree, I’m afraid. The X20 is a nice camera, and pretty powerful at that, but the RX100 (even version I) performs better in the image quality department, while remaining a true compact. The RX100 II adds even more power, better image quality (to be seen, but early reviews claim this) and maintain the same size. If money isn’t a problem, the decision should be easy

Hi I have an x20 which I have bought less than a month ago sometimes when I open the lens the camera is not turning on but it starts when I press the button which you press to take photos with would you know what the reason could be? is it serious?

I’ve heard a few people have this issue too. A bit surprising to hear that you’re having this issue after just a month or less. But it’s possible. Try turning the lens slower, and it should help. But it’s not a serious problem. It’s just a bit annoying – and if you find it annoying, you can take it to Fuji and get it fixed